How much should each driver pay toward maintaining the roads and bridges they drive on? Currently, funding for the maintenance of Missouri’s roads and bridges is primarily generated by user taxes and fees. In principle, user fees are a desirable way to pay for road upkeep because they can place the burden of paying for repairs on those whose vehicles make the repairs necessary. But what if some vehicles inflict significantly more damage than others?
For example, large trucks cause between 15 to 49 times more damage to Missouri’s roads than cars do. Yet, the largest source of state road maintenance revenue comes from the motor fuel tax, which is levied at the same rate for both large trucks and other vehicles.
This report looks at various ways in which the financing of road maintenance could be reformed so that the amounts that truck-owners and car-owners pay are better aligned with the amount of damage their vehicles do to the roads. In addition to fuel taxes, tolling and other road usage charges are discussed.
Click here to read the full report.
